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Cassie Madison never planned to stay in her backwards little hometown.  At twenty, she shook the Georgia clay off her shoes for good and headed for the bright lights of New York City.  Fifteen years later, she's pleased with the life she's managed to create for herself.  From her Upper East Side apartment to the successful ad agency she helps run to her polished fiancé—it would be obvious to anyone that Cassie's living the good life.  She's attained the existence she always wanted for herself, a glamorous life far, far away from the tiny hick town where she was reared.

A late-night phone call shatters Cassie's carefully-constructed life in the Big Apple.  It's from Harriet Warner, her estranged younger sister.  Cassie's barely spoken to Harriet since she stole the boy Cassie loved since she was twelve years old—and married him.  After almost two decades of silence between the sisters, Harriet's calling with tragic news: their father is dying.  Nothing else could force Cassie into returning to Walton.  Going "home" to say goodbye is hard enough, but Cassie can't stand the thought of seeing her sister enjoying the perfect family life that should have been her own.  Along with the pain, though, Cassie's stunned to realize that there are some things she still loves about little ole Walton, Georgia—things that might just convince her to stay.  

Torn between her old life and her new one, her family and her fiancé, her heart and her mind, Cassie must decide who she really is, what she really wants, and how to heal her aching heart, once and for all.

As much as I enjoy Karen White's novels, I have to say that Falling Home is not one of my favorites.  Although it's written with White's trademark warmth and sincerity, it becomes awfully cliché awfully quick.  Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy it—I did—I just would have liked some surprises here and there.  Overall, I found Falling Home engaging, but not all that original or impressive.  I liked it, didn't love it.        

(Readalikes:  Other books by Karen White, especially A Long Time Gone)

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As the only remaining girl in a family of boys (one father, three older brothers, one honorary older brother/neighbor), Charlotte "Charlie" Reynolds really can't help being a tomboy.  Without a mother around (the car accident that killed her still haunts Charlie's nightmares), there's no one to teach her about the frilly things in life.  Not that the 16-year-old wants lessons on how to color coordinate her wardrobe (everything goes with jeans) or correctly apply a bunch of goop on her face (she would sweat it all off on the playing field, anyway).  Charlie would much rather spend her time running, massacring her brothers at mud football, and driving too fast along curvy oceanside roads. 

It's this last bit that changes things for Charlie.  Forced to get a job to pay off her speeding tickets, she begins working at a tony little boutique, which leads her down a path strewn with all the girly things she eschews.  Pleasant side affect to acting like a girl?  The attention of an über attractive boy who thinks of her as a delicate feminine flower, not a trash-talking jock.  Not so pleasant side affect?  Having to hide her new-found girliness from the men in her life (they would so not understand).  Leading a double life is starting to wear on Charlie—between that and the haunting flashbacks of her mother's accident that plague her dreams, she's going a little crazy.  The only thing that helps is her late-night chats with her brothers' buddy, Braden, across the fence that separates their houses.  Problem is, the more time she spends with him, the faster she's falling for him.  Will Braden ever see her as more than a bratty little sister?  And exactly how quick will her brothers pulverize him if he does start coming around?  As life grows ever more complicated, Charlie has to decide what she wants—and how much she's willing to risk to get it.  

Between its summer-y cover art and July release date, you can probably tell that On the Fence, the newest contemporary YA from Kasie West, is an easy, breezy, beach-y kind of book.  The plot never gets too complicated, the themes too dark or the characters too angsty.  With an equal mix of the constant ribbing and intense loyalty that defines the best brother/sister relationships, the Reynolds family feels strong and real.  Their bond lends the whole story a warm, playful overtone that makes it a happy, hopeful novel.  Sure, it's cliché and predictable, but On the Fence is also lots of fun.  As long as you don't expect too much depth, you'll enjoy this light, easy read about not just discovering who you are, but also finding the courage to be that person, in spite of the consequences. 

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of the Dairy Queen novels [Dairy Queen; The Off Season; Front and Center] by Catherine Gilbert Murdock and a little of Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler) 

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